Chapter 39
The place I went to following Captain Ryu, the leader of 6th Unit, was an isolated palace among the 99 buildings of the imperial court. Although I roughly understood the layout using the imperial palace map that Mang-ryang gave me, I realized that following Captain Ryu made it impossible to rely entirely on that map.
I had a general sense of the overall structure, but the details differed. There were many alleys and labyrinthine passages, almost like a maze. Furthermore, if these complicated buildings moved according to geomantic principles like living creatures, intruders would be utterly lost.
‘Even if you have the imperial palace map, it would be impossible without fully memorizing it…’
I also thought how fortunate it was that I had learned about geomantic defenses. Right now, Captain Ryu was only walking on the main paths, but only a few steps away the terrain changed to a more closed-off layout. Although I pretended not to know and kept walking, I realized that even if you memorized the paths, you’d get trapped in a double trap without geomantic knowledge. This was a natural fortress.
Probably, the warriors and court ladies working in the palace must all walk along predetermined paths.
Strangely enough, there were no guards in this palace. Captain Ryu led me down some stairs to the underground area, where ten elite guards were waiting. They all wore black attire, just like Captain Ryu.
Captain Ryu introduced me to them.
“This is Baek-woong, a new member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. He will be the youngest in 6th Unit, so guide him well.”
“Understood, Captain.”